LIVE: SURFER BLOOD – 08/05/2010

– THE RUBY LOUNGE, MANCHESTER – It’s Saturday night in Manchester but you wouldn’t know it. The Northern Quarter is bustling with people but the energy doesn’t seem to be there. Maybe the hangovers from the previous bank holiday weekends revelry are still lingering. Maybe it’s the predictably cold and grey weather hovering over our heads, despite it officially […]
– ST. PHILIP’S CHURCH, SALFORD – The pews are now full and the congregation are ready for tonight’s sermon. The vicar is nowhere to be seen and the raised area in the centre of this Salford church is filled to bursting with musical equipment. Above the performance area and below a huge stained glass window […]

LIVE: DUKE SPECIAL – 07/05/2010

LIVE: TIFFANY PAGE – 07/05/2010

-ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – (HOLE SUPPORT) Tiffany Page is very pretty. She has lovely hair. She has a lovely voice….lovely. Is this what we want from our singers? For them to be lovely? Some people think Cheryl Cole, and puppies peeping out of the tops of stockings are lovely…some people are morons. I’m not really […]
– ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, says the woman who’s just released the album, ‘Nobody’s Daughter’ which includes the song ‘Never go hungry’. Contradictory? Probably. Controversial? Of course, but when you’re dealing with Courtney Love these go with the territory, and what a messily magnificent territory it is… For […]

LIVE: HOLE – 07/05/2010

LIVE: YOUNG KNIVES – 05/05/2010

– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – The Young Knives are the definition of geek chic. But, behind the thick rimmed specs and bow ties is an equally original style of music. Eight months since their last gig, the band are embarking on a short tour of small intimate venues. My last encounter with them was at […]
– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER – The Ritz is a great gig venue, despite having an interior that hasn’t changed for decades and carpet that clings to your shoes. The layout is ideal for live music with a substantial balcony running along the 3 sides that aren’t occupied by a stage. The area downstairs has a […]

LIVE: FOALS – 04/05/2010

LIVE: SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY – 02/05/2010

– VARIOUS VENUES, CHAPEL STREET, SALFORD – I’ve queued up and got my wristband so I’m off to my first port of call for this mammoth day of live music. It’s now around four o’clock and I’m sat upstairs in The Old Pint Pot. It’s pretty quiet with just a handful of people hanging around, […]
– DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER – Three men wearing bandanas over their faces have temporarily hijacked the top floor of this thoughtfully designed venue. The support band Is Tropical rattle out a few catchy tunes that sound like The Stranglers performing cover versions of classic TV advert jingles with their new synth. Between band entertainment is […]

LIVE: GOOD SHOES – 28/04/2010

LIVE: BRITISH SEA POWER – 26/04/2010

– MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER – It would be a disappointment if there were no surprises in store at a British Sea Power gig. Tonight, these do not come in the form of twigs, branches, towers made of men and weird locations, but rather in much less conspicuous ways. Number one, since they last played Manchester […]
– OPERA HOUSE, MANCHESTER – Tonight, the Opera House is filled with casually dressed 20-40 year olds who have a passion for the audio and visually disturbing. The ornate and plush venue will be alien to many present here tonight, which adds to the air of uncertainty for what is to come. After the late, […]

LIVE: CHRIS CUNNINGHAM – 22/04/2010